by Jeff Kinney
you in the right direction.
COUNTRY
FAIR
20
A FRESH START
Audiences loved the actors who played the
characters in the first three films, especially Zach
Gordon, who played Greg Heffley, and Robert
Capron, who played Greg’s best friend, Rowley
Jefferson.
But by the time “The Long Haul” was in
development, Zach and Robert had grown up to
be young men and were headed off to college. So
there was no chance they’d be returning to their
roles as middle-schoolers.
21
The great thing about cartoon characters is that no
matter how many years go by, they never change.
It’s too bad it’s not the same way with actors!
While the script was being developed, the
filmmakers started their search for a new Greg
and Rowley. A casting announcement was made
inviting kids to try out for the roles.
GREG
2007
GREG
2017
CASTING
DIARY
of
a
Wimpy
Kid
THE
LONG
HAUL
Casting for the role of: Greg Heffley and Rowley Jefferson in the
20th Century Fox movie based upon the best selling Diary of Wimpy
Kid series by Jeff Kinney.
22
Two thousand boys auditioned for each character.
Some were experienced actors, and some were
stepping in front of the camera for the first time.
When actors try out for a part in a movie,
television show, or commercial, chances are that
they won’t get it. Most of the time, it’s not
because of a lack of talent — it’s just that there’s
someone else who’s a better fit for the role.
Rejection can be hard to take, especially for a
kid. But anyone who wants to be an actor has to
get used to dealing with disappointment, and to
be ready the next time a great role comes up. It’s
all part of being a professional.
NEXT!
AUDITIONS
23
When you’re trying out for a role, it’s not so
important how you look — it’s important that you
can capture the SPIRIT of the character you’re
trying out for.
The role of Greg Heffley is tricky to cast. Greg
is a kid who’s always looking out for himself, and
he does some things that aren’t so admirable. But
audiences need to LIKE Greg, or they won’t root
for him. And if the audience isn’t rooting for
Greg, then the movie won’t work.
It took months to find the right Greg. In the
end, the filmmakers chose Jason Drucker, a young
actor who had appeared in a handful of TV shows.
WHO FORGOT
TO PUT WHIPPED
CREAM IN
MY HOT CHOCOLATE?
I ALWAYS
HAVE WHIPPED CREAM
IN MY HOT CHOCOLATE!!!
24
Everyone who saw Jason’s audition tape knew he
could pull off the role and get audiences to cheer
him on.
With his long, curly hair, Jason didn’t LOOK
much like Greg Heffley. But that could always be
fixed later.
Greg’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson, is the
opposite of Greg in many ways. He’s innocent,
kind, and loyal, and is a happy-go-lucky kid.
(GULP)
SNIP
SNIP
25
No one captured the essence of Rowley better
than a young actor named Owen Asztalos, who had
appeared in a few television shows and commercials
before auditioning for “The Long Haul.”
But before the filmmakers could sign off on the
two young actors, they needed to see if the boys
had “chemistry.”
In movies, chemistry is the connection that two
people have when they’re together on-screen.
Sometimes, you can have two talented actors,
but for some reason they don’t connect when the
cameras roll. And if your co-stars don’t have good
chemistry, the audience will sense it.
26
Fortunately, when the director had the two boys
do a test scene, something clicked between them.
The pair made a believable Greg and Rowley.
The actors went home not knowing if they had
gotten the roles. A few weeks later, the director
called both boys to tell them the good news:
They’d be starring in the new movie as Greg
and Rowley. Jason and Owen couldn’t have been
more excited.
The two actors were each at the start of a whole
new journey, and their lives were about to change.
Both boys were eager to discover just where the
road might take them.
SLAP
27
CALLING ALL HEFFLEYS
Not only was Greg recast for the new movie, but
new actors were picked to play the rest of the
Heffleys as well.
Alicia Silverstone was chosen to
play Greg’s mom, Susan. Alicia
has had lots of memorable roles
in films, television shows, and
music videos. Once, she even
played Batgirl in a Batman
movie. In addition to being
an actress, Alicia is famous for being an animal
rights activist.
Tom Everett Scott was
picked to play Greg’s dad,
Frank. Tom has appeared
in lots of films as well, and
coincidentally, his first
starring role was alongside
his good friend Steve Zahn,
who played Greg’s dad in the
first three Wimpy Kid movies.
28
The role of Greg’s teenage older brother,
Rodrick, went to Charlie
Wright, an actor whose
movie career was starting
to take off. Charlie came
to his audition dressed in
the type of outfit Rodrick
might wear, which helped
him get the part.
The most challenging role to fill was Greg’s
younger brother, Manny, because the character
would be played not by one actor — but two.
When a movie calls for very young children to
play important roles, filmmakers usually cast
twins. That way, if one of the kids is being
uncooperative (or just needs to take a nap), the
sibling can be swapped in.
The kids playing Manny couldn’t be too young, or
they wouldn’t be able to remember their lines.
29
But they couldn’t be too old, either, or they’d
outgrow the part if there were future films.
The role went to Dylan and Wyatt Walters, a pair
of three-year-old boys. But Dylan and Wyatt
aren’t twins, they’re triplets — they have a sister
as well. Dylan and Wyatt had never been on
camera before, so making a movie would be a whole
new experience for them.
The actors lived in different areas of the country,
but soon they’d all be
headed to the same place,
coming together as the Heffleys.
30
LOCATION, LOCATION
One of the biggest decisions the filmmakers had
to make was where to shoot “The Long Haul.”
The first three Wimpy Kid movies were shot in
Vancouver, Canada. But since the new film was
about a family’s road trip through the United
States, it really had to be filmed there.
It wouldn’t be practical to shoot a movie that
covered the kind of distance the Heffleys were
traveling, though. A film like “The Long Haul”
requires a cast and crew of hundreds of people,
along with all the equipment they use to get their
jobs done. And it’s just too expensive to move all
that gear around every day.
31
The filmmakers needed to find an area in the
United States that had a wide range of scenery.
That way, they could make it LOOK like the
Heffleys were traveling a great distance, even
though all the scenes would be filmed close to one
another.
They decided on Georgia, a beautiful state in the
southern U.S. with a diverse landscape.
One of the reasons Georgia was chosen was because
its capital is Atlanta. Many television shows and
films are made in that city, so there are lots of
talented people who live and work in the area.
32
In fact, some of today’s biggest blockbusters
are shot in Atlanta, including many of the big
superhero movies.
Once Atlanta was chosen as “home base” for the
film, the director and a small team of location
scouts spent weeks driving all over the area,
looking for the perfect places to capture the
scenes described in the screenplay. They took
pictures and video of each location they visited.
Scouting is hard work, but it’s an important step
in making a good movie. On the following pages
are a handful of spots that were chosen for the
film, and the scenes in the “Long Haul” book that
they match up with.
SNAP
33
ROLL
ROLL
ROLL
SBFTT!
GLBRF!
SETTING IT IN MOTION
With the final details of the script getting nailed
down, it was time to get serious about making this
movie. There’s a ton of work that needs to be
done before the actors arrive and filming starts,
and this phase is called “preproduction.”
A team of artists, set designers, wardrobe
specialists, prop masters, and others set up shop
in an old elementary school in Atlanta.
Each team took over an empty classroom to start
doing their work.
Diary
of
a
Wimpy
Kid
THE
LONG
HAUL
PRODUCTION
36
If you walked through the hallways of the school
during preproduction for “The Long Haul,” you’d
see a lot of crazy stuff going on. In one room,
you’d find the prop
master painting lips on a
pacifier with bad teeth.
A few feet away, you’d
find an illustrator making
up a “Mommy Meal” bag in
the same handwriting as Mrs. Heffley.
Nearby you’d see piles
of luggage to fill
the Heffleys’ boat,
an assortment of
car seats and plastic
potties for Manny to
sit on, and various
cardboard signs with
Rodrick’s handwriting
on them.
37
On a cluttered table,
you’d find a tube of
cinnamon rolls and
packets of icing.
Out in the hallway,
you’d come across the
assistant prop master
painting a pair of
underwear with glue to
make it stiff as a board so it could be flung like
a Frisbee.
An arm’s length away, you’d see someone mixing a
giant vat of fake mud to splatter on the actors
during filming.
38
And just outside the doorway, you’d see mannequins
dressed in the Heffleys’ clothes to test how the
mud would look when it
was splattered on the
actors.
Down the hallway,
you’d find a ton
of activity in a
room marked “Art
Department.” This
team’s job is to design
everything you see
on-screen that doesn’t
already exist, from
small props to giant movie sets.
The art department taped pictures of the
illustrations from “The Long Haul” to the walls so
they could stay as true to the original drawings
as possible. On the following pages are some of
the designs created by the art department, along
with the illustrations that inspired them.
39
Family
Frolic
ADVENTURE
AWAITS!
PLAN
THE
PERFECT
ROAD
TRIP!
Family
Frolic
ADVENTURE
AWAITS!
plan
the
PERFECT
ROAD
TRIP!
p.53
STRESS
TEST
HOW
DO
YOU
KNOW
WHEN
IT’S
TOO
MUCH?
Family
Frolic
ADVENTURE
AWAITS!
TAKE
THE
ULTIMATE
ROAD
TRIP!
HK
CINNAMON
ROLLS
with Icing
8
Cinnamon
Rolls
HEAT
MAKE
EAT!
1.
HEAT
2.
PLACE
3.
BAKE
4.
SPREAD
CINNAMON
ROLLS
PAPA
PEPE’S
PAPA
PEPE’S
pepperoni
pizza
¡HOLA!
LEARN
TO
SPEAK
SPANISH
FLUENTLY
¡HOLA!
LEARN
TO
SPEAK
SPANISH
FLUENTLY
CHEEZ
CURLZ
CHEEZCURLZ
42
Looking at some of these images, you’re probably
wondering why the designers went to the trouble
of putting so much detail into each design. Does
the package of cinnamon rolls really need to
have a list of nutrition facts, plus step-by-step
cooking instructions? Does the microwave pizza box
need to have the words “Cook thoroughly, enjoy
wholeheartedly” written in itsy-bitsy pri
nt?
The short answer is “yes.” The art department’s
job is to make the world of the movie as complete
as possible. This helps the actors do their jobs,
because if their world is believable, it’s easier for
them to pretend they’re really in it.
Besides, the designers take a lot of pride in
the work they do. Even if every detail doesn’t
show up on-screen, they can feel good about a
job well done.
COLA
43
It's a Sign
Any time you go on a road trip, you’re bound to
see lots of interesting signs along the way. Here
are some of the signs the production department
created to bring the Heffleys’ journey to life.
THE
HIGHWAY
1
30TH
ANNIVERSARY
COUNTRY
FAIR
Wholesome
fun
for
the
whole
family
L’IL
CRITTERS
PETTING
ZOO
44
WARNING
HUNTING
AREA
All the signs for the movie
were first created on a
computer screen, and later
made out of materials such
as metal, plastic, glass, and wood. The signs were
then “weathered” to make them look like they’d
been outside for a while. It’s all part of creating
a realistic world for the movie.
But not everything is as it seems. The L’il Critters
Petting Zoo sign looks like it’s made out of iron,
but it’s really made out of plastic that’s painted to
look rusty.
45
The effect is so convincing that when you touch
the sign, you’re expecting it to be heavy. But it’s
actually as light as a feather.
Weathering signs is a real art form. Check out
the difference between the digital design of this
sign and the version that’s seen in the film.
Indiana’s
Finest
FEED & FARM
SUPPLY
46
In the movie, the Heffleys stay at a handful of
hotels and motels, and each one has a sign that
reflects its unique character.
One of the motels is
called “The Laughing